Comments on: March in Augusthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August/
Comments on MetaFilter post March in AugustSat, 28 Aug 2010 06:41:32 -0800Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:41:32 -0800en-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss60March in Augusthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August
Today is the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous, "I have a dream speech". The Rev. Al Sharpton, NAACP, National Action Network and others will hold a <a href="http://www.reclaimthedream.org/">rally starting a Dunbar High School.</a> Glenn
Beck and conservative leaders will hold <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20100826/cm_theweek/206445">a rally of their own</a> on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Graduate students studying journalism and the media at American University are <a href="http://828indc.wordpress.com/">covering the events with a team of embedded bloggers.</a>post:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:19:21 -0800humanfont8-28reclaimthedreamrestoringhonormlkalsharptonwhitestockraceglenbeckBy: jonmchttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258667
That sound you hear is MLK spinning in his grave.
The fact that there are competing events at all explicity shows that point has been defitinitvely missed.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258667Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:41:32 -0800jonmcBy: fuqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258668
I'm glad I don't live in DC. Two protests at once! What a bunch of assholes!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258668Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:41:48 -0800fuqBy: fuqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258671
Oh yeah, I just realized, the two protests are going to meet on the mall and have a dance battle. I guess that makes it tolerable.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258671Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:44:16 -0800fuqBy: Threeway Handshakehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258673
<em>And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!</em>
Man, wouldn't that be nice.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258673Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:45:07 -0800Threeway HandshakeBy: cjorgensenhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258674
I have a dream that Glenn Beck will someday STFU.<blockquote><em>Glenn Beck made it clear that no signs would be tolerated at Restoring Honor...</em>
and
<em>Attendees have been asked not to bring political signs or slogans.</em></blockquote>I am a staunch advocate for freedom of speech. I take it as a given that if you let idiots talk they will expose themselves for idiots. I am finding some huge irony here. It's like Beck knows the rally will be full of stupid and he doesn't want to photo ops.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258674Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:46:08 -0800cjorgensenBy: kittens for breakfasthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258675
Well, I mean, the point has been missed by Glenn Beck. If that's where we're setting the bar for humanity getting a clue, then IA IA! THE WINDOW! THE WINDOW!!
(Sorry. Wrong thread.)
Beck is basically what would happen if Eric Cartman grew up. He's a national embarrassment, as usual.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258675Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:47:23 -0800kittens for breakfastBy: Houstonianhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258677
Why is MLK's niece one of the keynote speakers?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258677Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:55:13 -0800HoustonianBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258679
<i>&gt; Why is MLK's niece one of the keynote speakers?</i>
<a href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/27/alveda_king_glenn_beck">Meet MLK's Glenn Beck-loving niece</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258679Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:57:24 -0800The Card CheatBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258681
She's the conservative one, IIRC. She was one of the people who said Harry Reid should be punished for having said "negro" a few years ago.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258681Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:58:02 -0800mccarty.timBy: Fazehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258682
I honestly don't know much about Glenn Beck. Does he oppose civil rights for African Americans?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258682Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:59:31 -0800FazeBy: humanfonthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258683
She's an opponent of gay marriage and a prolife activist. Mlk III is speaking at the RTD rally.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258683Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:00:51 -0800humanfontBy: jonmchttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258684
He's kind of like GI Joe but with less lifelike hair.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258684Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:00:54 -0800jonmcBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258686
The DC cops should turn firehoses on Glen Beck's march, and set dogs on the marchers, just so those spoiled white people who are acting out a sick pantomime of civil rights activism can get a taste of what they smirkingly play at.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258686Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:01:20 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258688
So, what exactly was the point of this rally? I understood 9/12, kinda. But wasn't MLK about treating people as equals and ensuring civil rights, while Beck has been fighting Muslims building a mosque, and advocating an Arizona law that hinges on racial profiling?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258688Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:01:31 -0800mccarty.timBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258689
As I understand it, Beck is tapping into the "white people just can't catch a break these days" wellspring, and as such the mosque opposition and Arizona profiling law are put forward as attempts to bring things back into balance. Equality!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258689Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:05:56 -0800The Card CheatBy: odinsdreamhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258690
My sister's going with her boyfriend, both camouflaged as rednecks, to do some live video streaming interviews. Hopefully she'll stay below the radar enough to stay out of serious trouble.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258690Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:06:04 -0800odinsdreamBy: djghhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258693
I hope I'm wrong about this one, but I suspect the Beck march will get more coverage.
Sad times if it turns out that way.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258693Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:10:18 -0800djghBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258694
<blockquote>Do white people own the legacy of Abraham Lincoln? I don't think they do, and I don't think black people own the legacy of Martin Luther King.
</blockquote>
<i>Glenn Beck</i>
Yep, he's a real American hero. <a href="http://gawker.com/5357986/glenn-beck-and-bill-oreilly-jay+zs-biggest-fans">Beck</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/28/fox-host-glenn-beck-obama_n_246310.html">Beck</a> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201008260006">Beck</a>.
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/27/AR2010082703289.html">Asshole</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258694Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:10:53 -0800mccarty.timBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258695
<a href="http://gawker.com/5619876/will-tea-party-members-who-attend-glenn-becks-rally-survive-washington-dc">Well, the Tea Party certainly aren't afraid of the American people or anything.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258695Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:11:47 -0800mccarty.timBy: djghhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258696
<em>Authorities in the capital say they're prepared for up to 300,000 people. Fellow Fox News host Bill O'Reilly has scoffed at such estimates, promising Beck he'll give up his own show if more than 100,000 people attend.</em>
Bill O'Reilly: Cynical voice of reason.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258696Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:12:31 -0800djghBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258699
O'Reilly and Beck are fighting for the position of Godwalker of the Demagogue. It's not that Bill doesn't like Glenn, it's just that dammit, he's going to be the one who ascends and kicks Coughlin out of the Archetype slot, not that windbag Limbaugh or that upstart Beck.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258699Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:16:12 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: fuqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258701
Wow, MLK's niece is a fucking nut:
<i>She is regularly referred to as "Dr. Alveda King" in promotional material, although her doctorate is an honorary one, bestowed by St. Anselm College, a Catholic school in Manchester, N.H. And she could not recall why she was awarded the honorary degree.
I'm not involved in politics anymore," she insisted. "Make sure you note that."
n 1994, she released a letter condemning Coretta Scott King's support for abortion and gay rights, saying it would bring "curses on your house and your people ... cursing, vexation, rebuke in all that you put your hand to, sickness will come to you and your house, your bloodline will be cut off."
Alveda is dismissive of her aunt, who died in 2006, saying, "I've got his DNA. She doesn't, she didn't ... Therefore I know something about him. I'm made out of the same stuff."
Alveda seems to relish the fight, and she certainly doesn't share her uncle's fervent opposition to violence. Asked about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, King said that conflicts are biblically ordained.
and like many on the right, she cites "natural law" as the basis for her political philosophy.</i>
Natural law? Is it ok for me to use my natural strength to dominate people who base their world view on "natural law"? If they want human law to be based on nature, well, it's survival of the fittest, and most people who believe in "natural law" are fat and weak and old.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258701Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:20:23 -0800fuqBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258702
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008270053">Beck calls for Black Robed Regiment</a>
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201008260005">Collection of Hyperbole about the event.</a> I can't wait to tell my kids where I was when Glenn Beck took over the civil rights movement, once and for all, so that it was about the individual and not the black people, who are actually pretty well off because they aren't in Africa anymore. HAMBURGER
Sorry, that was my grandfather's DNA speaking.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258702Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:21:21 -0800mccarty.timBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258704
"Natural law" mostly means "faggots ain't natural".comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258704Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:22:20 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258705
<i>&gt; He's kind of like GI Joe but with less lifelike hair.</i>
And no military service, of course.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258705Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:22:32 -0800The Card CheatBy: jonmchttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258710
<em>windbag Limbaugh</em>
That's almost onomatopoeiac. or something.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258710Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:23:58 -0800jonmcBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258713
Also, I like how in the hyperbole that he brags it is the "Anti-Woodstock." Like 3 days of hippies listening to music was the start of America's decline.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258713Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:26:03 -0800mccarty.timBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258714
<i>&gt; Collection of Hyperbole about the event.</i>
Good lord, that dude is crazy. You Americans are never boring, I'll give you that.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258714Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:26:34 -0800The Card CheatBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258718
The left is doing everything they can to suppress turnout.
<i>Glenn Beck</i>
This reminds me of the time nobody came to my birthday party, but it turned out it was mainly because of my enemies hating me for having so many friends that they intimidated everyone!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258718Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:30:16 -0800mccarty.timBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258719
Jon Stewart: <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-26-2010/i-have-a-scheme">I Have a Scheme</a> -- "Glenn Beck wants to reclaim the civil rights movement on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258719Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:30:19 -0800ericbBy: gchttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258720
<em>Good lord, that dude is crazy. You Americans are never boring, I'll give you that.</em>
<strong>posted by The Card Cheat at 11:26 PM on August 28 [+] [!]</strong>
I kind of wish we were.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258720Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:32:07 -0800gcBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258721
Watch live: <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/38892937#38892937">Thousands pack D.C. for Restoring Honor rally</a>. The fat fuck is speaking right now.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258721Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:32:35 -0800ericbBy: nathan_teskehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258722
<i>That's almost onomatopoeiac. or something.</i>
"Windbag" is actually the collective noun for rightwing pundits. <i>A windbag of pundits.</i>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258722Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:33:45 -0800nathan_teskeBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258725
Oh God, why am I watching this? I already go to church. And he's going to get Sarah Palin out in like 3 seconds.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258725Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:35:29 -0800mccarty.timBy: jonmchttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258726
Spiffy. Really though "windbag Limabugh" say it over and over. It sounds wild. and I'm not even stoned.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258726Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:36:18 -0800jonmcBy: nomadicinkhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258727
<em>The fat fuck is speaking right now.</em>
Yeah, 'cause not only does he have stupid views, but he's fat too, and you know what that means, AMIRITE?!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258727Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:36:31 -0800nomadicinkBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258728
Anyway, he said he's calling up Sarah Palin because he wanted someone "not running for anything."
I guess that means we're safe?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258728Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:36:35 -0800mccarty.timBy: gompahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258730
<em>"Windbag" is actually the collective noun for rightwing pundits. A windbag of pundits.</em>
Close. But it's actually "a windbag of commentators" and "a douchebag of pundits."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258730Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:37:46 -0800gompaBy: Houstonianhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258731
Neat. Palin's playing up the "Lincoln was a Republican" thing right now.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258731Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:37:47 -0800HoustonianBy: outlandishmarxisthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258732
In many ways, the protests of the sixties were a death knell for the left, as the right - beginning with Nixon, and not taking a break under Carter or Clinton - has been in control of national development ever since. Maybe this Beck nonsense means the beginning of the end for the Reagan Revolution. (One would like to hope so, right?)
Things that Beck will do today:
- Cry
- Talk about himself
- Compare liberals to Nazis
- Cry some more
- Talk about himself some more
- Tell his audience how much he loves America
- Crycomment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258732Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:37:51 -0800outlandishmarxistBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258733
Yeah, thanks for the link, ericb, but the "fat fuck" line is kinda mean.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258733Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:37:57 -0800mccarty.timBy: minifigshttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258734
Did Sarah Palin just say that MLK's acheivements were built on the shoulders of "our brave men and women in uniform"?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258734Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:38:54 -0800minifigsBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258735
Did she just get heckled, or did she just lose her place?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258735Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:39:48 -0800mccarty.timBy: fungiblehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258736
I think it's important to remember that, at heart, he's still just a <a href="http://www.youtube.com%2F&h=2d454">morning zoo shock jock.</a> Like Limbaugh or Coulter, he's just looking for a new way to troll liberals by shitting on their favorite icons. And the more his ratings slide, the more desperate and outrageous he's going to get. Here's hoping he went too far this time.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258736Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:39:51 -0800fungibleBy: msbutahhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258737
Let's all do what MLK suggested. Let's judge Glenn Beck on the content of his character. It shouldn't take long to see him for the grandstanding attention whore he is.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258737Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:40:20 -0800msbutahBy: gompahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258738
Also: "a clusterfuck of former Alaska governors."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258738Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:40:59 -0800gompaBy: fungiblehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258739
Shit. Let's try that again - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJkxBLgd5Hs">Morning zoo shock jock</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258739Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:41:03 -0800fungibleBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258740
A morning zoo shock jock who got fired for joking about a co-worker's miscarriage. He blames pot and alcohol for it, but I don't think you get that much malice in you just from substance abuse.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258740Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:41:05 -0800mccarty.timBy: jquinbyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258741
My grandfather's DNA is speaking through me when I call this guy a <em>comemierda</em>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258741Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:41:18 -0800jquinbyBy: outlandishmarxisthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258742
From Theodor Adorno, "The Psychological Technique of Martin Luther Thomas' Radio Addresses" (1975 [1943]):
"The fascist leader characteristically indulges in loquacious statements about himself. In
contrast, the liberal as well as the radical propagandist has developed a tendency to avoid any
reference to his private existence for the sake of "objective" interests to which he appeals: the
former in order to show his matter-of-factness and competence, the latter because his
collectivistic attitude would be jeopardized if he should play up his own personality. Whereas
this "impersonality" is well grounded within the objective conditions of an industrial society,
it has definite weaknesses considering the orator's audience. The detachment from personal
relationships involved in any objective discussion presupposes an intellectual freedom and
strength which hardly exists within the masses today. Moreover, the "coldness" inherent in
objective argumentation intensifies the feeling of despair, isolation, and loneliness under
which virtually each individual today suffers - a feeling from which he longs to escape when
listening to any kind of public oratory. This situation has been grasped by the fascists. Their
talk is personal. Not only does it refer to the most immediate interests of his listeners, but also
it encompasses the sphere of privacy of the speaker himself who seems to take his listeners
into his confidence and to bridge the gap between person and person."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258742Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:42:30 -0800outlandishmarxistBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258743
I think Mrs. Palin should get a teleprompter, eh?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258743Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:42:30 -0800mccarty.timBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258744
<i>In many ways, the protests of the sixties were a death knell for the left,</i>
I think that your a) sense of causation and b) ability to identify sides are a little broken here. The New Left and the Democrats really, really didn't like each other, and reading the protests as somehow driving the fall of Democratic power (which was solidified in the 30's thanks to the wild popularity of FDR and the perception that the Republicans didn't care about ending the Depression, and didn't actually end until twenty five years later in 94 when the GOP swept the midterms) seems really silly.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258744Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:43:01 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: Thorzdadhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258745
<em>Maybe this Beck nonsense means the beginning of the end for the Reagan Revolution. (One would like to hope so, right?) </em>
Your words betray a misguided hope that this would signal a move back toward sanity. I'm afraid these events herald a move toward a future that will make the Reagan era look absolutely liberal.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258745Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:43:35 -0800ThorzdadBy: MegoStevehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258746
Ahh, the Beck/Limbaugh/Palin triumvirate... or what I like to refer to as Blind, Deaf, and Dumb.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258746Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:44:32 -0800MegoSteveBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258747
Beck is trying to make us believe this is an omen of what's to come, and you believe him?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258747Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:44:48 -0800mccarty.timBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258749
<em>...but the "fat fuck" line is kinda mean.</em>
Not in my book. It's actually the nicest thing I can say about the man.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258749Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:46:48 -0800ericbBy: outlandishmarxisthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258752
@Pope Guilty: "death knell" ≠ driving the fall.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258752Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:48:58 -0800outlandishmarxistBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258753
I like how she paused for applause for John McCain, but it just didn't come audible enough for the mic.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258753Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:49:48 -0800mccarty.timBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258757
So, America needs Faith, Hope and Charity. And it's his direction for next year. Does this mean he's dropping the race baiting?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258757Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:55:37 -0800mccarty.timBy: pyramid termitehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258758
<i>Also, I like how in the hyperbole that he brags it is the "Anti-Woodstock." </i>
and it only took him 41 years! - i'm impressedcomment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258758Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:56:30 -0800pyramid termiteBy: MrMoonPiehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258759
Watching him now. He doesn't appear to be particularly overweight, certainly no more so than I am. Guess ericb would classify me as a "fat fuck," too.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258759Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:57:29 -0800MrMoonPieBy: pyramid termitehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258764
<i>I think that your a) sense of causation and b) ability to identify sides are a little broken here.</i>
no, he has a point - the movement of the 60s broke the democratic coalition - the old and new left fought, weakening the party, and the republicans siphoned off many of the more conservative democrats
from 68 to 80, the democrats struggled to hold on to their power - since 1980, they've been on the defense even though they managed to hold congress for some time
they're STILL on the defensive, but that may be for psychological reasons, rather than political factcomment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258764Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:08:47 -0800pyramid termiteBy: outlandishmarxisthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258767
I would add that I'm not blaming the New Left for anything.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258767Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:13:43 -0800outlandishmarxistBy: gerrybloghttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258771
<i> If you agree that assumption is reasonable, then you must also agree Beck's contention that his "we" were the architects of the civil rights movement is <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/25/1790858/this-is-who-we-really-is-glenn.html">worse than nonsensical, worse than mendacious, worse than shameless</a>. It is obscene. It is theft of legacy. It is robbery of martyr's graves. </i> (from a column linked by <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_08/025422.php">Steve Benen</a>)comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258771Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:24:57 -0800gerryblogBy: odinsdreamhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258772
I'd like to see some research on the funding for this event - who organized it, who filed for relevant permits, scheduled speakers, etc. Anyone have some links?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258772Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:24:58 -0800odinsdreamBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258775
I'd like to see some research on the funding for this event - who organized it, who filed for relevant permits, scheduled speakers, etc. Anyone have some links?
<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/26/glenn-beck-sowf-charity/">An Irksome Arrangement: Glenn Beck Uses Charitable Donations To Pay For Restoring Honor Rally</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258775Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:26:51 -0800ericbBy: Threeway Handshakehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258776
Aren't all these people really turned off by Beck's tremendously condescending speaking style? Or is that just an "appeal to authority" thing he's got going there?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258776Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:29:07 -0800Threeway HandshakeBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258777
<blockquote>The permit issued for Glenn Beck's rally Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial is one of about 3,000 issued annually by the National Park Service for rallies, cultural events, weddings and photo shoots on the Mall and other Washington area national parks and historic sites.
... About 60 percent of applications are for 'First Amendment activities,' including Beck's rally, which are defined as demonstrations, religious services and events designed to draw a crowd and express an viewpoint, according to federal law.
A spokesman for Beck would not comment on the talk show host's efforts to secure the permit for Saturday's rally.
A $50 application fee is required to host cultural events, photo shoots and weddings at the sites. Event organizers also may be asked to post a bond for staffing and park maintenance costs, the Park Service said.
Six Park Service employees review the applications, processing 15 to 30 a day, and the length of an application process varies depending on the complexity of the event, the agency said. " <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/27/AR2010082705286.html">*</a></blockquote>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258777Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:31:01 -0800ericbBy: gerrybloghttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258780
Crooks and Liars has for your reference <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-beck-does-remind-us-civil-righ">a chart comparing the accomplishments of Martin Luther King and Glenn Beck.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258780Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:34:25 -0800gerryblogBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258782
Keith Olbermann: <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/38874415#38874415">Beck Calls on Help from God</a> -- "As the Restoring Honor rally draws near, Glenn Beck has advised attendees to use God as a shield to ward off a possible Black Panther attack."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258782Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:37:18 -0800ericbBy: Jahazahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258785
<i>Natural law? Is it ok for me to use my natural strength to dominate people who base their world view on "natural law"? If they want human law to be based on nature, well, it's survival of the fittest, and most people who believe in "natural law" are fat and weak and old.</i>
Oh yes! Your witty quip has caused me to discard any interest in a form of moral philosophy that goes back to Aristotle. How deluded they all were. (Which isn't to make any judgment on whether the niece is reasonable or not.)
The article from <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20100826/cm_theweek/206445"><em>The Week</em></a> is somewhat confusing:<blockquote><strong>How does Beck explain the choice of date?</strong>
He's shrugged it off as a coincidence, ... Beck has said "divine providence" led him to select the date.</blockquote>Generally, these are contradictory ideas. A coincidence is generally understood to be the occurrence of two things at the same time by accident and not intention, whereas providence is understood to be the guidance of events by God. This commonly leads to the contrasting of coincidence and providence. Either <em>The Week</em> summarizing in a confusing way or Beck is trying to say something different or has made contradictory statements.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258785Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:39:14 -0800JahazaBy: longsleeveshttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258786
<em>the two protests are going to meet on the mall and have a dance battle.</em>
That would be unwise, Glenn.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258786Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:39:28 -0800longsleevesBy: Splungehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258788
Hope Sharpton and Beck don't get close enough to touch each other. I'm not sure exactly what would happen but the math shows the potential for an incredible release of poisonously stupid and racist craziness.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258788Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:40:39 -0800SplungeBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258789
Al Sharpton: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/27/al-sharpton-glenn-beck-rally-king-dream_n_697676.html">Glenn Beck Rally Distorts King's Dream</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258789Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:41:46 -0800ericbBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258790
<i>Oh yes! Your witty quip has caused me to discard any interest in a form of moral philosophy that goes back to Aristotle.</i>
That a lot of people have believed in a thing is not a point in its favor, and Aristotle is remembered as being important in the history of philosophy, not as being right about very much.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258790Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:42:28 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258791
<i>release of poisonously stupid and racist craziness.</i>
Surely you're not suggesting some kind of equivalence between the two. Please, for the love of God, tell me you're not suggesting that.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258791Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:43:17 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258795
Daily Show: <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-26-2010/i-have-a-scheme">I Have a Scheme</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258795Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:46:39 -0800homunculusBy: Splungehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258796
More of a matter, anti-matter thing, really.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258796Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:47:25 -0800SplungeBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258797
Joe Scarborough on Glenn Beck: <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/msnbc/joe_scarborough_on_glenn_beck_maybe_hes_taking_stupid_pills_172059.asp">'Maybe He's Taking Stupid Pills'</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258797Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:47:38 -0800ericbBy: fuqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258798
<i>Oh yes! Your witty quip has caused me to discard any interest in a form of moral philosophy that goes back to Aristotle. How deluded they all were. (Which isn't to make any judgment on whether the niece is reasonable or not.)</i>
Good thing you didn't explain to me where I went wrong in my witty quip. "Natural law" goes back to Aristotle? I seem to remember a mention of it way back in the day of Intro to Philosophy 1, but I'm ignorant of it. I thought it was just some words being thrown around by a fool, but if there is a body of serious philosophical thought about it, point me toward it. How will I stop speaking out of ignorance if no one educates me?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258798Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:48:08 -0800fuqBy: scalefreehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258799
Far as I can tell the rally's main point seems to be "Glenn Beck isn't a racist". It's kind of self-refuting; if you need to make the argument you've already lost it.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258799Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:49:34 -0800scalefreeBy: ZeusHummshttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258806
<em>Crooks and Liars has for your reference a chart comparing the accomplishments of Martin Luther King and Glenn Beck.</em>
Thanks. Beck had a Delorean?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258806Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:55:38 -0800ZeusHummsBy: Azazel Felhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258812
It really is the Anti-Civil Rights March, isn't it? A few thousand middle-class whites gather to mourn the passing of a bygone era and demand .... what, exactly? Less government spending? Okay. That boat sailed with GWB. More God in government? Which God? Catholic or Protestant? Thor? Me?
It just strikes me as a bunch of angry people who are coming together to be angry about rather nebulous, ill-defined Things and that these Things better change or else Something is going to happen real Soon. But mostly we want you to know that we're angry .... about things.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258812Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:01:02 -0800Azazel FelBy: delmoihttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258813
<blockquote><i>Did Sarah Palin just say that MLK's achievements were built on the shoulders of "our brave men and women in uniform"?</i></blockquote>
I assume she's talking about Union troops. Although that doesn't seem like a very good idea given her base. I suspect she simply hasn't thought things through.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258813Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:01:55 -0800delmoiBy: warbabyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258817
Well, there was always the <a href="http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19950114&slug=2099377">1995 MLK Day Gun Rights Rally</a>. (In the other Washington.)comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258817Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:06:42 -0800warbabyBy: Azazel Felhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258818
Although, on the plus side, maybe we've finally discovered the right-wing analog to liberal "Anti-War" protests, where giant paper-mache puppets serve to remind us that yes, Mumia is still very much in jail.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258818Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:08:06 -0800Azazel FelBy: Houstonianhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258822
So, this is an odd pairing and a strange comparison to make. Pastor C.L. Jackson's <a href="http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008280011">speech</a>: "God sent His Son to this earth so that we could all gather, and I think that's the dream and the vision of Glenn Beck."
(Jackson in the past has paired up with Nation of Islam minister and Black Panther leader <a href="http://newswirehouston.com/2009/03/02/quanell-x-and-pastor-cl-jackson-team-up-with-houston-crime-coalition-and-a-host-of-non-profit-organizations-for-the-stop-the-killing-summit/">Quanell X</a>, and the founder of the Unification Church and self-proclaimed Messiah, <a href="http://www.wewillstand.org/news/news_0306.html">Sun Myung Moon</a>. Currently, he serves as a board member for our <a href="http://www.txdirectory.com/online/person/?id=18468&office=17378">Criminal Justice</a> department, which is pretty scary.)comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258822Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:12:36 -0800HoustonianBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258826
So basically CL Jackson cuddles up to racists all the damn time.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258826Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:17:51 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: Threeway Handshakehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258827
So I'm watching this on C-Span, and the opaque frosted glass podium looks more like a censor box, as if all of the speakers at Beck's thing are naked from the waist down.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258827Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:19:01 -0800Threeway HandshakeBy: Sys Rqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258829
CONSPIRACY THEORY ALERT!!!
From what I've seen (which, admittedly, consists entirely of cherry-picked clips played on <em>The Daily Show</em>), Glenn Beck seems to be gearing up for his own assassination. My bet is on a false-flag operation that leaves Glenn Beck with minor injuries, if any -- just enough for him to (scarily, perhaps successfully) claim victory over the Pinko Librul Terrists.
The most effective thing us Pinko Librul Terrists can do is (vocally, adamantly, insistently, repeatedly) just not give one iota of a whit of a shit about Glenn Beck. Ignore him into irrelevance. Respond to that one Beckophile uncle of yours with a <em>Pfft</em> and a walking away of your bodily self.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258829Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:21:54 -0800Sys RqBy: fuse theoremhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258831
<i>I hope I'm wrong about this one, but I suspect the Beck march will get more coverage.</i>
As will the three self-hating Negro (and I'm using that term deliberately) people who attend it, one of whom will likely be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Ruckus">Uncle Ruckus</a>.
<i>How does Beck explain the choice of date?
He's shrugged it off as a coincidence, ... Beck has said "divine providence" led him to select the date.</i>
"Divine" can mean "of or pertaining to a god," small "g". Let's not let that idiot give God credit for his malevolence. I'm thinking Beck's god is...I dunno...could it be...<i>Satan</i>?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258831Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:24:49 -0800fuse theoremBy: Sys Rqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258834
<em>I suspect [Sarah Palin] simply hasn't thought things through.</em>
That's her in a nutshell, yes.
<em>Although that doesn't seem like a very good idea given her base.</em>
If Sarah Palin's base consisted of the sort of people who thought things through, they probably wouldn't be Sarah Palin's base.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258834Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:27:00 -0800Sys RqBy: schmodhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258836
I'm not a huge fan of Sharpton by any stretch of the imagination, but you've got to hand it to Beck and the Tea Party for making Sharpton and the NAACP the most relevant that it's been in several decades, first with the Shirley Sherrod incident, and now with the whitewashing of the civil rights movement.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258836Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:32:57 -0800schmodBy: scalefreehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258840
<em>From what I've seen (which, admittedly, consists entirely of cherry-picked clips played on The Daily Show), Glenn Beck seems to be gearing up for his own assassination. My bet is on a false-flag operation that leaves Glenn Beck with minor injuries, if any -- just enough for him to (scarily, perhaps successfully) claim victory over the Pinko Librul Terrists.</em>
You should go rent <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bob_roberts/">Bob Roberts</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258840Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:40:37 -0800scalefreeBy: lyamhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258842
Wow. He is speaking as if he believes he has inherited King's mantle. What a deluded, sad, scary man.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258842Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:43:25 -0800lyamBy: Ndwrighthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258844
My absolute favorite moment in Boondocks is where Martin Luther King, having survived his assassination attempt and being alive to this day, appears on Fox News in late 2001.
Having voiced opposition to the war in Afghanistan as a conscientious objector a few weeks prior to his appearance, he is ruthlessly verbally attacked by the Fox News host as someone who hates America and loves Osama bin Laden.
Seems about right.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258844Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:44:16 -0800NdwrightBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258849
I'm seeing a very infinitesimal number of blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities in the so-called second civil rights movement. Almost completely older white people, very few in their twenties or under.
Sys Rq: <em>The most effective thing us Pinko Librul Terrists can do is (vocally, adamantly, insistently, repeatedly) just not give one iota of a whit of a shit about Glenn Beck. Ignore him into irrelevance.</em>
Yes, ignore him, and meanwhile, C-SPAN and the 24/7 cable media laps up every word and gesture he makes. What the hell does ignoring him do?
His speech is surprisingly listless and pedestrian and rambling and does nothing but repeat the same tired talking points he spouts on FOX News every day. There's nothing new. He looks exhausted, out of his depth, and does seem to be doing much inspring or exhorting. He's quoted as having told a caller to his show that he had no idea what political strategy he was executing with this event (or much of anything else), and it shows.
The audience is looking bored, disappointed, unhappy to be sitting around in upper-80s weather on the National Mall in a city that they have been coached to fear and despise, not just for the government that's entrenched there, but for the scary dark people that live there.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258849Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:52:32 -0800blucevaloBy: sciurushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258853
<em>That's almost onomatopoeiac. or something.</em>
The word you're looking for is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assonance">assonance</a>, which is even more perfect because it contains a pun in this context.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258853Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:55:37 -0800sciurusBy: clavdivshttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258855
...JEFF BECK IS PLAYING AT THE MALL...comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258855Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:59:11 -0800clavdivsBy: Sys Rqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258857
<em>Yes, ignore him, and meanwhile, C-SPAN and the 24/7 cable media laps up every word and gesture he makes. What the hell does ignoring him do?</em>
Well, for one, if you're ignoring him, you're not watching his show or the coverage of his little rallies, and then maybe the power (and ratings) of GLENN BECK, SUPER-TROLL is diminished somewhat.
'Cause, like, that's all he is. He's a troll. Let's take a cue from this electrical cyberworld in which we're having this discussion and not feed it.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258857Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:00:05 -0800Sys RqBy: humanfonthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258858
Any DC area MeFites going to the rallies today? I was trying to get to Dunbar but failed.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258858Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:00:32 -0800humanfontBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258861
There are more blacks on the stage behind Beck than there are in the entire audience.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258861Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:02:02 -0800blucevaloBy: kafzielhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258862
I can't watch this.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258862Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:02:34 -0800kafzielBy: MrBobaFetthttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258865
<i>'Cause, like, that's all he is. He's a troll. Let's take a cue from this electrical cyberworld in which we're having this discussion and not feed it.</i>
Except in the cyberworld we don't just ignore trolls. We kick and ban them. Which I'm down with doing that with Beck if that is being advocated.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258865Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:04:14 -0800MrBobaFettBy: Astro Zombiehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258866
<em>Thor? Me?</em>
You think you're thor? I can barely thand!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258866Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:04:37 -0800Astro ZombieBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258869
<em>'Cause, like, that's all he is. He's a troll.</em>
I don't disagree with you, Sys Rq. My only point is that my ignoring him and your ignoring him and mefi's ignoring him (which we aren't doing) makes not a heck of a lot of difference when C-SPAN and CNN and FOX and the <em>Washington Post</em> and the <em>New York Times</em> are putting him front and center. Even Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert devoted much of their shows on the same night to him a couple days ago.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258869Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:05:58 -0800blucevaloBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258871
I watched for about 20 minutes. That was just bizarre.
I particularly liked the moment where he talked about how people need to get their own lives right first, so when they go out into the world, they can R--... er... they can lead other countries into the right path.
They can r--- what? were you about to say "rule", Mr. Beck?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258871Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:07:53 -0800hippybearBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258873
Isn't "Amazing Grace" a hymn of hope? Why is it sounding like a funeral dirge at this event?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258873Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:09:01 -0800blucevaloBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258880
Because the rally is intended to be a funeral for the white race.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258880Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:11:44 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: azpenguinhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258881
This is just a bunch of people who are worried about the dilution of white privilege, who are trying to push the country further right, and are trying to do this while showing the nation that "hey, we really aren't that crazy!" (Which will not help, seeing that this rally preaches to the converted anyway. Most people don't have time for this.)
I would love to see a massive civil rights rally in the same spot on MLK Day. Given the current turn toward the racist side by the Republican side of the populace, particularly with border issues, I think such a rally would inspire quite the turnout.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258881Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:12:37 -0800azpenguinBy: Astro Zombiehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258882
I have to say, I have a grudging respect for the sheer lunatic craven predatory urge in display here. Here is a man so egomaniacal and delusional that there is not a single symbol he doesn't think is beyond usurping. I HAVE MARTIN LUTHER KING'S INSANE NIECE AND THE MALL IS FREE ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS FAMOUS SPEECH! I'M YOUR MARTIN LUTHER KING NOW, BITCHES!
It's so uncontained. I'M ALSO YOUR WOODSTOCK!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258882Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:13:48 -0800Astro ZombieBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258884
I say we don't ignore him. He's a cultural phenomenon, and an enigma. As a pundit, he's lacking. His facts don't line up, and his theories are based on loose associations and out of context quotes.
But as a personality, he's interesting. He's got the manic-depressive symptoms of bipolar, delusions of grandeur, and a past that makes him look like he's been to hell and back. Religious people think that he's like the prodigal son, and now he's taken on messianic qualities. And he's given an audience that adores him, and he projects his delusional fears onto them. His audience is afraid for him, because he's made himself out to be the leader of a movement against this well-organized left-wing fascist machine.
Anyway, we won on healthcare. We won on financial reform. Yes, they were mild wins, but that's because Obama is a moderate. Glenn Beck and the Tea Party doesn't actually have that much power that normal lobbyists don't have. Without those movements, special interest groups would still know the numbers to call to prevent a "Bolshevik" assault on the "best" healthcare system in the world.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258884Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:14:24 -0800mccarty.timBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258885
The C-SPAN cameras keeping zoning in on this same 20-something white couple over and over again because they're the only people under 30 in the entire crowd.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258885Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:14:43 -0800blucevaloBy: mdnhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258886
<i>Good thing you didn't explain to me where I went wrong in my witty quip. "Natural law" goes back to Aristotle? I seem to remember a mention of it way back in the day of Intro to Philosophy 1, but I'm ignorant of it. I thought it was just some words being thrown around by a fool, but if there is a body of serious philosophical thought about it, point me toward it. How will I stop speaking out of ignorance if no one educates me?</i>
There's always google...
Aquinas is probably the major figure in <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/natural-law-ethics/">Natural Law</a>, but he considers Aristotle his biggest influence. Aristotelians often think the interpretation is not quite right.
<i>That a lot of people have believed in a thing is not a point in its favor, and Aristotle is remembered as being important in the history of philosophy, not as being right about very much.</i>
If something's a major field of study, there is probably a reason, so if you're going to dismiss it, at least know why...
Aristotle is still considered an important figure in philosophy in many areas.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258886Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:15:03 -0800mdnBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258887
keep<strike>ing</strike>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258887Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:15:31 -0800blucevaloBy: Astro Zombiehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258888
You only ignore the demagogue before he has power. Once he has power, you must destroy him.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258888Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:15:43 -0800Astro ZombieBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258890
<i>&gt; Isn't "Amazing Grace" a hymn of hope? Why is it sounding like a funeral dirge at this event?</i>
I don't spend a lot of time around churches or white people singing hymns, but the last two times I was (both weddings) the crowd was so out of tune it almost qualified as free jazz.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258890Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:17:40 -0800The Card CheatBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258892
<strong>mdn:</strong> <em>Aristotle is still considered an important figure in philosophy in many areas.</em>
Pope Guilty didn't say that Aristotle wasn't an important philosophical figure (or Aquinas, for that matter). He said that he wasn't right about many things. Read what the guy said.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258892Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:17:51 -0800blucevaloBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258895
And of course, there's also the aspect of him that says it's just an act. But if it's just an act, why did he set up this bizarre rally? It has no set agenda, and mainly platitudes about the troops and American values that everyone likes.
It's all amorphous fluff with a hint of Christian-libertarianism-flavored disdain for people who don't (or can't) "help themselves."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258895Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:19:48 -0800mccarty.timBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258897
<em>But if it's just an act, why did he set up this bizarre rally?</em>
To aggrandize himself and raise money. He wept as he spoke about the millions that had been raised.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258897Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:20:56 -0800blucevaloBy: Nealehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258899
I'd be surprised if some pundit, somewhere, doesn't suggest a Beck / Palin ticket in '12.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258899Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:22:03 -0800NealeBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258901
They're now fleeing the Mall with all the haste that they can muster.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258901Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:23:47 -0800blucevaloBy: dirigiblemanhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258903
<i>Isn't "Amazing Grace" a hymn of hope? Why is it sounding like a funeral dirge at this event?</i>
Welcome to white Protestantism.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258903Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:26:00 -0800dirigiblemanBy: LastOfHisKindhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258904
And so we see, once again, the trailing edge of change. Quite a while ago conservatives opposed a woman's right to vote but now, of course, it is taken as a given. More recently, conservatives raged against racial equality but now it also is taken as a given. More or less, anyways. And then, in the 1980s, they raged about having a holiday dedicated to MLK, Jr. (I remember a high school teacher ranting about how improper it was to have a holiday dedicated to "a criminal." I couldn't resist responding "I agree completely, and we need to do a better job of making sure that people remember Harriet Tubman as a criminal, not a hero, for illegally helping all of those escaped slaves get to the north. She should have been put in prison for theft." He shut up after that.)
And so, here we are in 2010, and MLK's nobility has become a given and, just like sexual and racial equality, it too is ripe for distortion. Stand by for two or three decades and you'll see genuine equality for gays become a given making it too ripe for whatever distortion is required to justify whatever idiotic behavior is then-trendy.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258904Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:26:50 -0800LastOfHisKindBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258905
It took less than 5 minutes for the Lincoln Memorial lawn to empty. Wow.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258905Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:27:18 -0800blucevaloBy: toodleydoodleyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258907
<em>My grandfather's DNA is speaking through me when I call this guy a comemierda.
posted by jquinby at 10:41 AM on August 28 [1 favorite -] Favorite added! [!]</em>
Shame on you when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GG_Allin">gg allin</a> isn't even here to defend himself.
seriously, this dude (beck) is a disgrace to comemierdas everywhere.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258907Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:27:42 -0800toodleydoodleyBy: Threeway Handshakehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258909
<em>I'd be surprised if some pundit, somewhere, doesn't suggest a Beck / Palin ticket in '12.</em>
I hope so. I hope they run. I'd even vote for them. The resulting four years of hell would be offset by easy political humor and the knowledge that we would never see a Republican in office, ever.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258909Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:28:31 -0800Threeway HandshakeBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258912
Isn't that what we said about the Bush/Cheney ticket in 2000?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258912Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:30:40 -0800blucevaloBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258914
&gt; The resulting four years of hell would be <s> offset by easy political humor and the knowledge that we would never see a Republican in office, ever</s> followed by nuclear winter.</i>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258914Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:31:47 -0800The Card CheatBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258915
Out of curiosity, what has happened to America to dishonor it for you personally?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258915Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:32:01 -0800mccarty.timBy: pyramid termitehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258917
<i>It took less than 5 minutes for the Lincoln Memorial lawn to empty. Wow.</i>
that's kind of like max yasgur's farm emptying out after richie havens, sweetwater and burt sommer playedcomment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258917Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:33:34 -0800pyramid termiteBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258920
Those people were fools! They missed <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2OxLyts-zE">Sha Na Na</a>!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258920Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:37:38 -0800The Card CheatBy: blucevalohttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258925
<em>that's kind of like max yasgur's farm emptying out after richie havens, sweetwater and burt sommer played</em>
But I thought this was supposed to be the anti-Woodstock.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258925Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:39:54 -0800blucevaloBy: Liquidwolfhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258928
So Beck, a man who's accused the first US black president of being a racist, is going to "lead us out of the darkness"? And into what.... The Void of Nothingness???comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258928Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:44:35 -0800LiquidwolfBy: XQUZYPHYRhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258930
I mean this in all seriousness: Beck's eventual humiliating scandal is going to be <em>spectacular</em>. Watching the montage on that Daily Show link, it's amazing how much of a fraudulent faith healer he's trying to be. Fox is probably ecstatic about this guy; it's like they have their own 700 Club without having to act as though they're a religious broadcasting network.
But this dude is just beyond ego. He's messianic. So was Jimmy Swaggart. And between his Murdoch-funded carnival act and his con game with Goldline he's just as greedy if not more. The man is a righteous glutton.
The only question as to what Beck's going to convince himself he's allowed to have, devotees be damned, is when it'll happen, how old and what gender. I'm not saying it'll be worth all the damage he's helping to cause this country but at least it'll be an entertaining moment while we're all heating up our ramen noodles.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258930Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:45:58 -0800XQUZYPHYRBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258942
The comparison of Beck to Swaggart is inspired. See also Pat Robertson, who used his airline (that's right, Pat Robertson has an airline) to ship gold-mining equipment to Liberia for the use of mass-murdering tyrant Charles Taylor while claiming that the planes were carrying Bibles and humanitarian aid.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258942Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:55:10 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: Liquidwolfhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258947
<em>
But I thought this was supposed to be the anti-Woodstock.</em>
This is the Woodstock in which everyone took the brown acid.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258947Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:58:36 -0800LiquidwolfBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258948
Wow, it's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2of_3gh47o">even worse</a> hearing it.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258948Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:59:59 -0800mccarty.timBy: maihttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258950
We do Dr. King a disservice by even mentioning Beck's shennanigans alongside Dr. King's beautiful speech.
Better to focus on Dr. King himself, his achievements and struggles.
There is still a lot of work to be done.
As frustrated as I am by the current political climate in this country, I know that electoral politics is not the only road to change.
As a teacher of black students, I wish I could say that my students will be able to go into the world and be judged by the content of their character, because many of them are truly inspiring.
But the sad truth is that their skin color, and their poverty (which Dr. King was also struggling against), will still caused them to face unequal opportunity.
I can't even listen to Glenn Beck, not even for recreational outrage. It's too frustrating. All I can do is focus on teaching my kids well.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258950Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:01:58 -0800maiBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258956
<a href="http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/67885">Beck's Tea Partiers Abuse Springsteen's "Born in the USA"</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258956Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:06:52 -0800homunculusBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258959
There's nothing funny about a white male "taking back" the civil rights movement for "the individual." That completely misses the point of civil rights. They were entirely about treating people as equal individuals. And still today, not all individuals are equal. And yet Glenn Beck has been <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/12/glenn-beck-gay-marriage-n_n_679691.html">apathetic</a>, at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq2kLf1NXt8">best</a>, on that civil rights issue.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258959Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:08:44 -0800mccarty.timBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258960
Hahaha, man, right-wingers love that Springsteen song. They just enjoy the sound of the verses and then "BOOOOOOOOORN IN THE USA!"comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258960Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:09:07 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258967
Guys, I feel ripped off that this didn't change America permanently, or that Glenn Beck didn't say anything remarkably profound/stupid in particular. What's something fun I can do that will let off some recreational outrage? I'm thinking I might experiment with this "mixed martial arts" goofiness. Anyone wanna wrassle in my garage?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258967Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:14:41 -0800mccarty.timBy: drezdnhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258970
I'm surprised some republican musician hasn't just rewrote the verses to "Born in the USA," or maybe they think every problem mentioned in the song was caused by liberals?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258970Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:16:52 -0800drezdnBy: joe lisboahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258972
<i>Hahaha, man, right-wingers love that Springsteen song. They just enjoy the sound of the verses and then "BOOOOOOOOORN IN THE USA!"</i>
This burns me up so bad. LISTEN TO THE FUCKING LYRICS, IDIOTS. Grar!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258972Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:17:16 -0800joe lisboaBy: mdnhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258975
<i>Pope Guilty didn't say that Aristotle wasn't an important philosophical figure (or Aquinas, for that matter). He said that he wasn't right about many things. Read what the guy said.</i>
Whatever, I meant, his theories are still taken seriously in many areas; he's not just seen as a historical figure. In other words there are plenty of thinkers who think he was right about a lot.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258975Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:19:36 -0800mdnBy: fingshttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258976
<i>But I thought this was supposed to be the anti-Woodstock.</i>
Does that mean that years from now, lots of people who were there will claim they weren't?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258976Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:21:01 -0800fingsBy: windboxhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258979
I just enjoyed this <a href="http://dcist.com/2010/08/overheard_in_dc_endearing_tourists.php">Overheard in DC</a> bit from DCist yesterday re: Glenn Beck fans in town -
<em>
"At Safeway:
A couple, both wearing "Palin for President AND Vice President 2008" shirts, are buying a 12 pack of Budweiser.
The clerk tells them it's $9.50. The couple then starts complaining that they're gouging people in town for the rallies, demands to speak to the manager, and that it's un-American.
Cashier: "No sir, that is capitalism."</em>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258979Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:24:43 -0800windboxBy: Dr. Zirahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258987
Did I miss the part where they mounted a vigorous defense of civil rights for gay and lesbian citizens and religious freedom for everyone, even those who subscribe to faiths other than Christianity?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258987Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:31:38 -0800Dr. ZiraBy: MrMoonPiehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258990
And the part where they're fighting for full Congressional voting rights for DC residents--you know, no taxation without representation.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258990Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:36:07 -0800MrMoonPieBy: delmoihttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3258998
<blockquote><i> The most effective thing us Pinko Librul Terrists can do is (vocally, adamantly, insistently, repeatedly) just not give one iota of a whit of a shit about <strike>Glenn Beck</strike> George W. Bush. Ignore him into irrelevance.</i></blockquote>
Yes. That's how it works. As long as liberals ignore someone, conservatives will too! That's how it works. They only care about what <i>we</i> think and look to us for guidance.
I mean for real. Becks audience isn't <i>you</i> it's not liberals/progressives. It's right wingers. Ignoring him has zero effect on the people who actually like him. He's not trying to 'troll' and he doesn't give a crap what you think. (There are lots of conservatives who <i>are</i> trolls and are obsessed with annoying liberals. Andrew Breitbart would be an example) But beck is interested in preaching to his choir.
Ignoring him accomplishes nothing. Maybe it gives you some piece of mind as his nutbag followers take over the country. That is not particularly helpful.
---
Anyway, I'm not all that broken up about the right claiming MLK as an inspirational figure. I think MLK should be up there with the founding fathers and frankly I say put his face on some money. (With inflation, what about a $500 bill? Or how about getting rid of Andrew Jackson?) . The fact that conservatives are now going to try to appropriate him makes it more likely.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3258998Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:45:13 -0800delmoiBy: Dr. Zirahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259002
I take solace knowing that Sarah Palin is just a tan, a wardrobe change, and a bottle of grain alcohol away from becoming Snooki from Jersey Shore.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259002Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:48:00 -0800Dr. ZiraBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259005
I really, really was hoping Glenn Beck would do something cool. Like strip, or ride off in a helicopter with a bunch of Mission Accomplished posters. Or at least a bunch of Tea Party signs with bad spelling.
Between banning the signs and actual policy from this rally, I think Glenn Beck has neutered the Tea Party into just another boring older-American club. He fooled us progressives into watching a Red Hat Society meeting.
And as an American, I feel robbed of time and energy. Glenn Beck is a huckster, who initiated force by getting everyone riled up for something that turned out to be nothing.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259005Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:51:22 -0800mccarty.timBy: Blazecock Pileonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259011
<em>a team of embedded bloggers</em>
*snicker*comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259011Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:57:26 -0800Blazecock PileonBy: eviemathhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259014
I'm listening to MLK's I Have a Dream speech currently, instead of Glenn Beck. Someone should take the speech and set it to some catchy music (this would be someone with more musical talent than me) to make a song that would go on to become a chart-topper. I'm envisioning something in the hip hop or electronica genres (I like Ani Difranco's songs out of Utah Phillips stories, which are more folk or electronic-folk, but they aren't going to go mainstream ever). I think that would be a good way to help commemorate King's legacy and fight it's appropriation by the likes of Beck.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259014Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:59:40 -0800eviemathBy: Blazecock Pileonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259015
<em>he brags it is the "Anti-Woodstock"</em>
In other words, everyone is dropping Tums and other antacids, and then tuning in.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259015Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:01:21 -0800Blazecock PileonBy: Marty Marxhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259017
The dismissals of natural law and Aristotle seem to be completely unmoored from any familiarity with either, and based instead on the fact that right wingers like "natural law" so left wingers shouldn't.
I wouldn't trust Glenn Beck or Alveda King (or Salon, for that matter) to provide an accurate and fair summary of the various threads of the intellectual tradition known as natural law in Western philosophy, and you shouldn't either.
Stanford's encyclopedia of philosophy, on the other hand, is a pretty good place to start.
<a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/natural-law-ethics/">Natural law in ethics</a>.
<a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/natural-law-theories/">Natural law in philosophy of law.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259017Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:05:07 -0800Marty MarxBy: Joey Michaelshttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259024
<i>Beck is trying to make us believe this is an omen of what's to come, and you believe him?</i>
<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/04/house-seats-republican-gains.html">"Large Republican gains in House seats are 'inevitable' come November"</a>
<a href="http://www.twincities.com/ci_15914488?nclick_check=1">GOP plans widespread White House investigations if it gains majority</a>
Etc. etc.
I believe that between the fired-up old white Christian person voter base of the Republicans and the disillusioned young person voter base of the Democrats, we really are going to see two years of impeachment hearings and gridlock which will make the filibuster business of the past year seem quaint Beck and FOX will spend two years doing victory dances and saying "suck it up, you guys lost." Obama, interested in trying to get stuff done, will jog further to the right.
Beck didn't have to actually change anything today. The country is going to change in November anyways. He can claim responsibility and since his audience can't really see the difference between correlation and causation, they will kneel and pray to St. Glenn who rose up in their hour of need to protect them from health care and Mexicans.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259024Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:14:11 -0800Joey MichaelsBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259027
<i>The dismissals of natural law and Aristotle seem to be completely unmoored from any familiarity with either, and based instead on the fact that right wingers like "natural law" so left wingers shouldn't.</i>
Hi! Bachelor's in Philosophy. Not a fan of Aristotle, nor am I a fan of people who cling to ancient and overrated philosophers like grognards with their copies of Red Box D&amp;D.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259027Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:16:57 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: jonmchttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259028
It's also very telling that he seems to have lost the support of Bogert and Appice.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259028Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:17:51 -0800jonmcBy: fuqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259031
Well, today I learned that "natural law" philosophizing takes many forms, some of them are old and crusty, and I disagree with, and some that are topical, contemporary, and ideologically concurrent with my own thought, and some stuff in between. I don't think I necessarily 'agree' with most of it, but it is a body of thought that I shouldn't have written off so lightly. It seems that "natural law" thinking is so broad that it isn't even helpful to talk of it as a movement or monolithic ideology. I stand corrected and educated. fuq: 1, ignorance: 0.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259031Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:23:22 -0800fuqBy: mccarty.timhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259032
Well, here's the right-wing Twiterverse's <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23RestoringHonor">response</a> to it. They liked it, but then again, I get the feeling Glenn Beck doing nothing but making the Kermit voice for two hours would thrill them.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259032Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:26:25 -0800mccarty.timBy: Marty Marxhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259044
I'm not saying that people should agree with Aristotle, PG, but you're talking about a caricature of Aristotle if you say that he's primarily important as a figure in the history of philosophy (unless you mean that in some way other than a "history of ideas" sort of way, or are thinking of a particular subdiscipline that doesn't have another use for him). To take one example, the entirety of virtue ethics can plausibly be seen as an attempt to modernize Aristotle, and virtue ethics is hardly a backwater in moral philosophy. It just isn't anything approaching an accurate description of Aristotle's significance in contemporary academic philosophy.
It may be the case that Aristotle <i>shouldn't</i> be accorded this much significance and that derivative projects are fundamentally mistaken. Lots of philosophers believe this -- Bertrand Russell thought this about most of Aristotelean philosophy -- but as you say, "that a lot of people have believed a thing is not a point in its favor" and besides, lots of other philosophers disagree. Whether or not Aristotelean philosophy or natural law are fruitful areas of inquiry is simply not a settled question, nor is the answer obvious, and so the dismissals so far have missed the mark (and missed any complaints about the actual content of the philosophy).comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259044Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:42:52 -0800Marty MarxBy: birdherderhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259045
<em>They just enjoy the sound of the verses and then "BOOOOOOOOORN IN THE USA!"</em>
They love that shit unless you're BOOOOORN IN THE USA and your parents do not have their papers in order.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259045Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:42:59 -0800birdherderBy: Lord Chancellorhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259046
<em>Hi! Bachelor's in Philosophy. Not a fan of Aristotle, nor am I a fan of people who cling to ancient and overrated philosophers like grognards with their copies of Red Box D&amp;D.</em>
Just because you're not a fan of them doesn't mean that they're not relevant or that they're automatically wrong.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259046Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:44:05 -0800Lord ChancellorBy: The Card Cheathttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259049
<i>&gt; "Large Republican gains in House seats are 'inevitable' come November"</i>
<a href="http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/856.html">Play us out, H. L. Mencken!</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259049Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:45:54 -0800The Card CheatBy: Joey Michaelshttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259050
<i>Just because you're not a fan of them doesn't mean that they're not relevant or that they're automatically wrong.</i>
That flies in the face of Beck's personal philosophy right there.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259050Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:45:58 -0800Joey MichaelsBy: XMLicioushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259051
I was there when Alveda King received her honorary doctorate. She couldn't pronounce the name of the college she received it from correctly. But of course lots of people from the college probably pronounced her name wrong too.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259051Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:46:51 -0800XMLiciousBy: Marty Marxhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259052
And for what another peek at the diversity of thought here, compare Martha Nussbaum and John Finnis, both of whom are major contemporary philosophers and arguably Aristotelean (though Finnis goes through more Thomism) who are not only at completely opposite sides of the political spectrum, but who were actually competing expert witnesses on ancient Greek concepts of law and sex in Romer v. Evans.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259052Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:49:17 -0800Marty MarxBy: Bookhousehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259061
<em>Hahaha, man, right-wingers love that Springsteen song. They just enjoy the sound of the verses and then "BOOOOOOOOORN IN THE USA!"</em>
You know, I see this point a lot whenever this song gets used by Republicans, but I gotta say, the Republicans are smart, not dumb, to use this song. Sure, the verses undercut the anthemic chorus if examined, but Bruce wrote such a towering chorus and produced it with such bombast that I'm not sure the ironic juxtaposition of the verses can really overpower it. In other words, Bruce ended up creating a patriotic anthem whether he, or we, like it or not.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259061Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:03:31 -0800BookhouseBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259063
I think Aristotle is like Freud- very important in the development of the discipline, but wrong about very nearly everything he got specific about.
<i>Bruce wrote such a towering chorus and produced it with such bombast that I'm not sure the ironic juxtaposition of the verses can really overpower it. In other words, Bruce ended up creating a patriotic anthem whether he, or we, like it or not.</i>
Oh, like that critique of <i>Full Metal Jacket</i> which states that it's impossible to make a truly anti-war movie. I'm hip.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259063Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:05:55 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: Bookhousehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259070
Yeah, more or less.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259070Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:14:09 -0800BookhouseBy: jonmchttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259071
Anthemic? Sure. Patriotic? Yeah, but not in the simplistic way Beck and his ilk would have you believe. (It was inspired by the death of <a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8174579">Bart</a> <a href="http://www.virtualwall.org/dh/HaynesBE01a.htm">Haynes</a>, the drummer in <a href="http://www.castiles.net/">the Castiles</a>, one of Bruce's first bands.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259071Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:14:19 -0800jonmcBy: MegoStevehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259072
<i>I'm listening to MLK's I Have a Dream speech currently, instead of Glenn Beck. Someone should take the speech and set it to some catchy music</i>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0F4iXEzOqY">The Gregory Brothers did it.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259072Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:14:32 -0800MegoSteveBy: AdamCSniderhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259077
<em>Hi! Bachelor's in Philosophy. Not a fan of Aristotle, nor am I a fan of people who cling to ancient and overrated philosophers like grognards with their copies of Red Box D&amp;D.</em>
And we're all very thankful for your insightful and definitive statement on Aristotle's worth and the psychology of those who find him to still be of interest. I find his <em>On Sarcasm</em> to be of tremendous value, myself.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259077Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:21:30 -0800AdamCSniderBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259079
Bob Herbert: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/opinion/28herbert.html">America Is Better Than This</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259079Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:23:49 -0800homunculusBy: joe lisboahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259080
<i> In other words, Bruce ended up creating a patriotic anthem whether he, or we, like it or not.</i>
I find the song terribly patriotic, especially when read properly. Patriotism is only the last refuge of the scoundrel if you confuse it with blind nationalism. The hard-scrabble / depressing verses exist in a kind of dialectical tension with the rousing chorus: tragic optimism. I find it very American, actually, whatever that might mean.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259080Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:24:04 -0800joe lisboaBy: Blazecock Pileonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259082
<em>In other words, Bruce ended up creating a patriotic anthem whether he, or we, like it or not.</em>
"Born In The USA" can only be used for evil if we allow it to.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259082Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:24:31 -0800Blazecock PileonBy: buzzmanhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259087
Making my birthday political is bad taste, but the dichotomy of beliefs just makes me so happy.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259087Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:27:43 -0800buzzmanBy: Tchadhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259091
I can't read through all of this because I keep thinking about it and tearing up.
BUT
If anyone wanted to protest this, the best thing they could do is get the most diverse crowd possible and march hand in hand singing "Free at Last". Hundreds and thousands of EVERYONE marching hand in hand and singing.
But not this. I just can't read about it anymore. This breaks my heart. All of it.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259091Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:34:09 -0800TchadBy: drogienhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259093
Neighbouring little mouse/big elephant countries like Canada/USA, Poland/Russia, Belgium/France, Palestine/Israel, Taiwan/China, Mexico/USA, worry about the elephantine Glenn Becks, Putins, Sarkozys, Netanyahus, Wen Jiaobos of the world because they need only twitch to crush. Is Obama a mouse to Beck's elephant?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259093Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:36:48 -0800drogienBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259097
<em>Someone should take the speech and set it to some catchy music...</em>
There's Moodswings' '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgbeXVAPW64">Spiritual High (Part III)</a>' from their 1992 album, 'Moodfood.'comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259097Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:43:36 -0800ericbBy: mordaxhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259099
I'm not sure why anybody's surprised by their misuse of "Born in the USA." It's the same as anything else with that crowd: they're capable of recognizing culturally important symbols, but lack the nuance and maturity to appreciate what those symbols actually mean. It's just like how they'll talk about Jesus all the time while spitting on the poor, or the Founding Fathers while wiping their ass with the Constitution, or compare anyone they don't like to Hitler and Stalin without any regard for how those people actually operated.
I guess what I'm saying is that they're kids playing dress up. Big, gun toting, mentally deficient children who think that wearing a stovepipe hat is the same as actually <em>being</em> Abe Lincoln.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259099Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:45:30 -0800mordaxBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259101
There's also Common's song '<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBa55sDTIiA">A Dream</a>' -- produced by will.i.am for the film, '<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CEoQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFreedom_Writers&ei=tXV5TMG-M8T48AaGy6zRBg&usg=AFQjCNGCb0-IJzJJNgqf5dR4LhwNlaLdLQ">Freedom Writers</a>.'comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259101Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:47:27 -0800ericbBy: I Foodyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259102
It's sort of annoying that there are like 100,000 people all in one place that don't know how much smarter than them I am.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259102Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:51:27 -0800I FoodyBy: five fresh fishhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259110
Might bean idea to contact Beck's advertisers and voice your displeasure. He's barely got advertisers as-is; I'm sure he's costing Murdoch a bundle. Hit 'em where it hurts.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259110Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:00:08 -0800five fresh fishBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259112
<a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/08/23/born-in-the-u-s-a-mosque-protestors-ironic-anthem/">'Born in the U.S.A.': Mosque Protestors' Ironic Anthem</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259112Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:01:02 -0800ericbBy: wuweihttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259114
What makes Beck an interesting figure is that he's not really a counterpoint to the John Stewart/Stephen Colbert/Rachel Maddow types.
Beck has an agenda, an ideology and an action plan for his viewers, beyond simple deconstructionism. While Beck's ideology (9 principles/ 12 values, etc etc) is pretty lukewarm, and vaguely laughable to intellectual sophisticates, it's still an action plan. His viewers/supporters seek political power and have a plan to build the internal cohesion of his movement via shared principles and values. They do seek political power in that the Tea Party (heavily supported by Beck, and also cosponsors of his MLK day rally) has sought to back specific candidates for office and disrupt the current Republican power structure. The Tea Party has also had some notable successes at the ballot box in the recent mid term elections. The Tea Party also has a loosely affiliated paramilitary wing (<a href="http://oath-keepers.blogspot.com/">Oath Keepers</a>, etc) and that provides an implicit threat of violence if the Tea Partiers do not achieve their goals at the ballot box. In fact, if you spend much time with the right wing, online or in person, it is clear that many people are at least talking about pulling triggers if "tyranny" and "socialism" arise. This is also part of the motive for the weapons stockpiling that has taken place in the last two years since we elected Obama. Presumably, the paramilitary wing of the Tea Party is supposed to be the Malcolm X/Panthers to the Beckian MLK/SNCC. This should deeply disturb Americans because the Oath Keepers in particular are populated by members of the security services, i.e. police and law enforcement.
Contrast this with Rachel Maddow/John Stewart etc. While they do certainly have values that unite their audiences (hilarity, irony, deconstructionism) it is less clear that these are a political program aimed at gaining power. Rather, they are a type of aesthetic stance. Even the disdain for the cultural unsophistication of the Tea Partiers is itself an aesthetic stance more than a political program for the direct seizure of power (via elections) in the service of specific goals. Maddow does of course advocate for specific programs (financial reform, gay marriage, etc) but this is not contained inside a real political program aimed at taking power or framed as challenging the existing political order. Rather, Maddow frames her argument to support the existing Democratic party structure.
This substitution of an aesthetic stance for an actual political program is a serious problem with the Left in the United States.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259114Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:01:09 -0800wuweiBy: Grangousierhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259119
The problem with patriotism isn't so much that it's the last refuge of the scoundrel, than that it's the first port of call of the halfwit.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259119Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:09:31 -0800GrangousierBy: Trochanterhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259129
Another Glenn on the <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/08/27/krauthammer/index.html">Racial and ethnic exploitation of economic insecurity</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259129Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:27:11 -0800TrochanterBy: joe lisboahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259132
<i>This substitution of an aesthetic stance for an actual political program is a serious problem with the Left in the United States.</i>
This is an interesting analysis, wuwei. I wonder, though, to what extent those actually participating in Tea Party rhetoric / posturing are adopting a principally aesthetic stance as well? The importance placed on (quote-unquote authentic) costuming alone is suggestive (not titillating-suggestive, but hmm-suggestive, unless you are in to tri-corner hat smut or something).comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259132Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:32:56 -0800joe lisboaBy: octothorpehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259135
<em>Hahaha, man, right-wingers love that Springsteen song. They just enjoy the sound of the verses and then "BOOOOOOOOORN IN THE USA!"</em>
Part of their problem is that they don't really have much good music of their own. If Toby Keith's the best contemporary music that your side can come up with, you should probably stick with John Philip Sousa.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259135Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:34:40 -0800octothorpeBy: PHINChttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259141
Reminds me of a Robert Altman film.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259141Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:40:21 -0800PHINCBy: wuweihttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259149
joe lisboa,
Thanks. Aesthetics definitely play a part in all political movements, as markers of in group membership. The issue for me is that large parts of the Left seems more interested in policing in group boundaries than in collective action to achieve political change. Comments about fat Tea Partiers who miss the point of Bruce Springsteen's music and have contradictory principles are fine-- but it's not enough. Those are criticisms of the the aesthetics of the Tea Party movement, and not a political program to take power.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259149Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:44:08 -0800wuweiBy: Artwhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259154
It's so nice of them to throw a mass cosplay as minions of Darkseid affected by the Anti-life Equation on Jack Kirby's birthday.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259154Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:48:30 -0800ArtwBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259166
<i>While Beck's ideology (9 principles/ 12 values, etc etc)</i>
14 words.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259166Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:02:42 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: Azazel Felhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259202
Yeah, comparing Beck to Maddow or Stewart doesn't really work because Maddow and Stewart aren't financially supported by shady billionaires who command legions of well-armed paramilitaries.
It would be more apt to compare Beck with <em>Obama</em>, since they are both political leaders who control large groups of armed men.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259202Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:49:20 -0800Azazel FelBy: Jimmy Havokhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259207
I am hoping that the Tea Party will manage to dominate Republican primaries, frightening the rest of the country into voting for Democrats. So things like this rally give me hope.
But then, I'm one of those optimists who think most people are fairly decent.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259207Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:51:49 -0800Jimmy HavokBy: ymgvehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259222
The "Natural Law" derail seems to have stopped, but my take on it: Why don't we ask the person that used the phrase (In this case, MLK's niece) what <i>they</i> put in those words?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259222Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:10:48 -0800ymgveBy: hamida2242http://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259225
<i>Maddow or Stewart doesn't really work because Maddow and Stewart aren't financially supported by shady billionaires who command legions of well-armed paramilitaries. </i>
What?
They're financially supported by the multibillion dollar corporations that advertise during their shows. I mean, have you even seen who advertises on MSNBC? Banks, pharma, fast food, consumer electronics, the fucking <i>diamond</i> industry... That's like the textbook definition of shady billionaires as well as the bedrock of socially-harmful exploitative capitalism.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259225Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:13:22 -0800hamida2242By: klangklangstonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259232
"<i>Hi! Bachelor's in Philosophy.</i>"
I know more about this than you could possibly imagine!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259232Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:21:21 -0800klangklangstonBy: Jimmy Havokhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259234
I have a BA in philosophy myself, and I know so much that I actually realize how much I don't know!comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259234Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:24:26 -0800Jimmy HavokBy: klangklangstonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259237
"<i>In fact, if you spend much time with the right wing, online or in person, it is clear that many people are at least talking about pulling triggers if "tyranny" and "socialism" arise.</i>"
My 22-year-old self got a well deserved dressing down from my parents when I started extolling the virtues of the Weathermen and Black Panthers vis-a-vis then-President Bush, even though the only thing that could really motivate me to take up arms would be zombies.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259237Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:25:33 -0800klangklangstonBy: klangklangstonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259240
"<i>I have a BA in philosophy myself, and I know so much that I actually realize how much I don't know!</i>"
Yeah, but I don't know how much I know how much I don't know, and I don't know where that leaves me.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259240Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:26:53 -0800klangklangstonBy: l33tpolicywonkhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259247
Surprised that the conversation about natural law and MLK hasn't brought up the downright Thomist content in King's <a href="http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html">Letter from Birmingham Jail</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259247Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:34:13 -0800l33tpolicywonkBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259264
I was simply trying to counter the smug "well you just don't like him 'cause you're ignorant!" argument.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259264Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:52:13 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: scalefreehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259301
I haven't seen any crowd estimates but looking at some of the <a href="http://gawker.com/5624423/glenn-becks-rally-restores-honor-boredom-to-the-masses">pictures</a> (scroll down) I'm guessing maybe 50,000 tops. Although they fill in a lot of the Mall, much of it looks kind of sparse &amp; spread out. I've seen photos of antiwar demonstrations &amp; Obama's inauguration that had the same area packed to the gills. I'm too lazy to dig them up right now but it'd be interesting to see them side by side.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259301Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:26:30 -0800scalefreeBy: five fresh fishhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259319
This is all solved by packing 'em in a spaceship to a new planet. They're the real-life version of phone sanitizers.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259319Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:45:29 -0800five fresh fishBy: scalefreehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259320
<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20014993-503544.html">Glenn Beck Rally Attracts Estimated 87,000</a>. Plus/minus 9,000.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259320Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:46:06 -0800scalefreeBy: mordaxhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259321
fff, are you suggesting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marching_Morons">trips to Venus</a>?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259321Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:47:44 -0800mordaxBy: five fresh fishhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259324
BTW, my small town numbers about 50 000 people. We have jack shit in the way of real society-changing political power. Glenn Beck is at best the Mayor of Fuckyou in the state of Douchonia.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259324Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:49:38 -0800five fresh fishBy: EarBuckethttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259331
<em>This substitution of an aesthetic stance for an actual political program is a serious problem with the Left in the United States.</em>
This comment may be the most insightful thing I've ever read on Metafilter, wuwei. Thank you for that.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259331Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:00:53 -0800EarBucketBy: delmoihttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259350
<i>I am hoping that the Tea Party will manage to dominate Republican primaries, frightening the rest of the country into voting for Democrats. So things like this rally give me hope.</i>
Most of the primaries are over. That certainly happened in, for example Nevada (Sharron Angle) and Kentucky (Rand Paul)comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259350Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:29:12 -0800delmoiBy: found missinghttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259359
<em>Fuckyou in the state of Douchonia</em>
My parents visited there, and all I got was this kick in the nutsack.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259359Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:40:59 -0800found missingBy: me & my monkeyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259378
<em>Glenn Beck is at best the Mayor of Fuckyou in the state of Douchonia.</em>
There's a Foursquare joke in here somewhere.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259378Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:11:20 -0800me & my monkeyBy: klangklangstonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259380
"<i>I was simply trying to counter the smug "well you just don't like him 'cause you're ignorant!" argument.</i>"
I know, and I was totally fucking with you.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259380Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:13:27 -0800klangklangstonBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259407
It's been a long week. Sorry.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259407Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:48:48 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: Orbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259464
Not to start up the "natural law" stuff again, but I wanted to comment earlier and didn't have time. Anyway...
Among the more right-wing and religious people in my life, "natural law" or "natural laws" usually comes up when they are decrying something that "goes against nature" (and is therefore wrong). By "nature" they mean God. God's laws. Whatever God likes is natural. Whatever he doesn't like is unnatural. Unnatural things makes God angry. Things like homosexuality and the termination of pregnancies. No mention of Aristotle would come up. Natural law is God's law, and it comes from the Bible. Period. I'm not even sure how many of them would know who Aristotle was.
<small>Though I have noticed, they are really good at twisting the Bible to make anything they personally don't like unnatural and an affront to God.</small>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259464Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:10:33 -0800OrbBy: Iosephushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259470
<em>This substitution of an aesthetic stance for an actual political program is a serious problem with the Left in the United States.</em>
Wonderful comment. It is interesting that I feel the same way with regards to the left AND the right here in Argentina, so far away from all this baffling US politics that I'm unable to understand anymore. Hereabouts we have the added complication that the smarter slices of both left and right use their aesthetic stances as clever masks to support their particular wannabe monopolist lobby interests. The results for the last two or three years has been the most sanctimonious and hypocrite public discourse I've ever heard in my country in my whole life, and this even comparing it to the stratospheric bullshit levels the last military dictatorship puked on us daily when I was being raised as a kid.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259470Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:18:57 -0800IosephusBy: Sys Rqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259489
<em>This substitution of an aesthetic stance for an actual political program is a serious problem with the Left in the United States.</em>
Bunk!
Glenn Beck has a program of steps and oaths and shit, but that's only because -- or <em>so that</em> -- his audience is incapable of independent thought.
In fact, come to think of it, that's Beck's whole shtick: His audience is dumb, and he's there to educate them. Hence the lecture hall set-dressing complete with chalkboard. In such an arrangement, Glenn Beck is acting as a (brace for head explosion) <strong><em>Paternalistic Elite!</em></strong> He's all rah-rah Populism, but then he goes and gives out marching orders to his army of flying monkey underlings via hypnopedia. What up with that?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259489Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:00:04 -0800Sys RqBy: Sys Rqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259493
In other words: "Think outside the box! There, now that you're out of the box, here's a smaller box for you to think in, and here's what you can think about while you're in there!"comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259493Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:03:34 -0800Sys RqBy: five fresh fishhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259497
Glenn Beck's Zombie Army.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259497Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:10:15 -0800five fresh fishBy: kafzielhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259512
<i>Among the more right-wing and religious people in my life, "natural law" or "natural laws" usually comes up when they are decrying something that "goes against nature" (and is therefore wrong). By "nature" they mean God. God's laws. Whatever God likes is natural. Whatever he doesn't like is unnatural. Unnatural things makes God angry. Things like homosexuality and the termination of pregnancies. No mention of Aristotle would come up. Natural law is God's law, and it comes from the Bible. Period. I'm not even sure how many of them would know who Aristotle was.</i>
I've heard "Natural Selection" used as the same passphrase for "God's Will". As in "In-vitro fertilization should not be legal. If it is natural selection that this woman not be able to procreate, then we should not tolerate science going against that."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259512Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:48:27 -0800kafzielBy: electroboyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259531
Beck's speech kinda reminded me of Thulsa Doom at the end of Conan the Barbarian.
Hopefully Arnold shows up soon, cause this shit is awful.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259531Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:28:21 -0800electroboyBy: wuweihttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259538
Iosephus:
Thanks for the compliment. I am sorry to hear of the situation in Argentina-- I had much hope that the end of the dictatorship would usher in an era of more responsive politics. What is the situation with regard to the economy? I have heard a lot about the worker cooperative takeovers. How is that going?
Sys Req: Your comment, unfortunately, highlights a misunderstanding of how political programs work. Effective political programs require people to work in a team. This does not mean that everyone wakes up at 5:00 a.m. sharp and eats a 500g bowl of Tasty Wheat while listening to the Great Leader give the Thought of the Day. Rather, a movement cannot take political and economic power unless it has a group of people with common goals. Otherwise, collective action becomes, by definition, impossible. There will always be a tension between independent thought and collective action. We should always have respect for dissent, while at the same time carving out some kind of shared values and principles to motivate the movement. In the America of 2010, three of the major principles should be the distribution of financial resources into the hands of average Americans, bringing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIRE_economy">FIRE</a> sector to heel, and a restoration of a citizen based army. That's a whole other discussion-- I should probably stop here lest I derail this thread.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259538Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:37:19 -0800wuweiBy: vhsivhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259578
<blockquote><em>Did Sarah Palin just say that MLK's achievements were built on the shoulders of "our brave men and women in uniform"?</em></blockquote>You know -- Cops, National Guardsmen, Men with Fire-Hoses and Dogs, Prison Wardens, Klan Knights and Wizards -- that sort of thing.
Sarah Palin is the queen of fucking political correctness, isn't she? A regular Reagan grand-daughter. A kinder and gentler Jimmy Cho stomping on the face of humanity for ever and ever...comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259578Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:58:20 -0800vhsivBy: Secret Life of Gravyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259655
From the twitter feed: <em>You know the Left has completely lost any semblance of rationality when they hurl the word "bigot" at Alveda King</em>
So because she is black (and related by blood to a famous Civil Rights Leader) nothing she says can ever be racist or bigoted. Right.
<em>I love how ppl are saying the 500k #'s are WRONG. Only around 100k were there! Cause that # is SO small?! NOT! Idiots!</em>
There is no difference between 80,000 and half a million. Got it. However, Bill O'Reilly won't have to quit his show.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259655Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:46:13 -0800Secret Life of GravyBy: octothorpehttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259668
The crowd undercount meme is pretty common in rightward blogs. They always seem to think that there's a media conspiracy to make the count low and marginalize them.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259668Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:59:35 -0800octothorpeBy: Artwhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259671
Well that's the way it worked for, for instance, the much larger anti-war marches.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259671Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:02:20 -0800ArtwBy: AdamCSniderhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259708
<em>This substitution of an aesthetic stance for an actual political program is a serious problem with the Left in the United States.</em>
A thousand times, yes. Although I have some hopes for the progressive movement that's been growing these past few years.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259708Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:55:27 -0800AdamCSniderBy: Pope Guiltyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259711
I don't remember that they undercounted the marches, but rather that they simply gave 30 seconds of coverage to the anti-war march with half a million people and two minutes to the ten people counterprotesting.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259711Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:58:12 -0800Pope GuiltyBy: me & my monkeyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259722
<em>The crowd undercount meme is pretty common in rightward blogs. They always seem to think that there's a media conspiracy to make the count low and marginalize them.</em>
This is pretty common to any group that marches. It's been this way for at least the last twenty years. Everybody thinks they're undercounted, because for the average participant, they're seeing more people in one place than they've ever seen before. But the Mall is BIG. It can hold a lot of people.
I think the most crowded I've seen it was at Obama's inauguration, but again, this is from my perspective as a participant - the area I was in was so crowded it was fairly hard to move.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259722Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:11:51 -0800me & my monkeyBy: klangklangstonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259730
Police ALWAYS undercount. No matter who, no matter when. There was some guy doing something with aerial sampling for crowd sizes to work on giving more accurate estimates for ground sampling, but I can't remember who the hell he was. (I have a BA in journalism! And it was mentioned for ten minutes in a class I had over five years ago.)comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259730Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:23:20 -0800klangklangstonBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259746
It does seem like something worth doing (although maybe not for the expense it would require) would be to do some kind of controlled aerial photograph / counting exercise, where there is a large space, and a bunch of people, and they keep letting in people 10,000 at a time and doing flyover photographs. Get the people to kind of spread out to "fill" the space with each new addition of people (obviously it gets more dense as the crowd gets larger). Then analyze the photographs to get some better picture (heh) of what each of these crowd densities actually looks like based on known numbers. It should be easy to extrapolate that data into whatever acreage is actually being counted after that.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259746Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:49:34 -0800hippybearBy: me & my monkeyhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259775
<em>It does seem like something worth doing ...</em>
The problem isn't with the accuracy of the current counting methods - they are largely done from the air, and there's plenty of good experience and methodology for counting crowds, especially within the same geographic area. The one mentioned upthread was done from the air. The problem is that each group that gets counted feels that they're being undercounted - that there is a bias against them. And frankly, there could very well be an unknown bias one way or the other, I suppose. That's why the US government got out of the business of issuing these counts in the first place - I think they were done by National Park Service.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259775Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:09:21 -0800me & my monkeyBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259810
<a href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/08/29/mosques/index.html">Anti-mosque sentiment rages far from Ground Zero</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259810Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:51:57 -0800homunculusBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259830
So, I didn't watch a whole lot of this yesterday, but I did see a bit of it, and I've read quite a bit of the online coverage of the event... And it has me wondering...
I got the impression when Glenn Beck announced this rally that he was going to be really trying to start a big movement of some sort. Like he had something incredibly incendiary and important to say, was going to be drawing a line in the sand and challenging people, etc.
But then the brouhaha started to build about the date and location he'd chosen, and it started to become a bit of a controversy. He had to start making statements that it wouldn't be a political rally, that they didn't want it to be a big demonstration with signs and whatnot... And then when the day arrived, he delivered what was basically a tent revival meeting without any real fire, zazz, or altar call.
it makes me wonder how much the plans for the event changed and watered down over the time between announcement and the actual date. I mean, really, what was the central message of Beck's speech? People need to start going to church, need to stop listening to those preaching hate, and start defending those with whom they disagree.
That's hardly the nation-changing event and message that he seemed to be promoting at the outset, based on what little I follow Beck and his rhetoric.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259830Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:13:24 -0800hippybearBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259842
Frank Rich: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29rich.html">The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259842Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:25:15 -0800homunculusBy: Trochanterhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259855
hippybear: Aren't you erring in thinking that this rally and this man are political things? Aren't they more about self promotion and brand growing?
There's more of revenue than revolution about Beck, I think. Or just good old show business. The political stuff is a means, not an end.
I believe I read that Mr. Beck will earn something near thirty two million dollars this year. God bless America.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259855Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:43:00 -0800TrochanterBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259887
<a href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joan_walsh/politics/2010/08/28/beck_and_palin_religious_heroes/index.html">Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin's unholy alliance: Abramoff ally Rabbi Daniel Lapin and bigot John Hagee help "restore honor" at the Lincoln Memorial</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259887Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:07:47 -0800homunculusBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259962
I'm not trying to ascribe any motives or whatnot to Beck. I don't really follow him closely. But I remember when he announced this rally, he seemed to have some kind of fervor to his announcements which wasn't present at the actual rally.
I agree, he's mostly about self-promotion and having the power of the pulpit without any actual responsibility. I just wonder whether there was a plan and a message for this particular promotional event which he ended up backing down from across the many months between the announcement (which seems to have taken place in <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/22/beck-100-year-plan/">November 2009</a>) and yesterday. But that link makes it pretty clear, he "has a plan", and was going to unleash it upon the US at yesterday's rally.
Unless he's really playing some kind of very long game, I don't see where yesterday's message of "go to church, turn your back on those who preach hate, learn to support those who disagree with you" really was the start of any huge societal change.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259962Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:16:34 -0800hippybearBy: klangklangstonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259979
"<i>The problem isn't with the accuracy of the current counting methods - they are largely done from the air, and there's plenty of good experience and methodology for counting crowds, especially within the same geographic area.</i>"
Yeah, the guy I remember talking about in class was trying to somehow use digital imaging or something to make estimates from the ground more accurate. Like, taking a picture from the air at the same time as one from the ground so that you could see what the same area looked like from the ground in terms of number of people.
The only real salient fact I remember was that police always undercount, and organizers always overcount, so either have someone there or say something like, "reportedly between 100,000 and 1 million."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3259979Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:34:42 -0800klangklangstonBy: Trochanterhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260003
You've probably all seen this, but I hadn't and a friend just sent it to me. First time I've seen Lewis Black: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1s4fj-5zlk&feature=related">Glenn Beck has Nazi Tourettes.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260003Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:13:00 -0800TrochanterBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260043
<a href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/295231-1">Full video of the rally (3h30min) plus transcript</a> (from C-SPAN)comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260043Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:04:48 -0800hippybearBy: ambulocetushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260182
<a href="http://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3259497">five fresh fish</a>, I like to call them (cue spooky music) "<em>THE ZOMBIES FROM PLANET MURDOCH!"</em>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260182Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:02:51 -0800ambulocetusBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260200
Apparently <a href="http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-national/glenn-beck-s-rally-focuses-on-values-but-how-will-these-values-really-restore-america">others</a> are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/27/glenn-becks-decision-to-s_n_697242.html">wondering</a> what happened to "The Plan", too.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260200Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:33:33 -0800hippybearBy: Trochanterhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260222
He's got a book coming out. He couldn't spoil the ending. Sales.
I'm half kidding, but from the second article, it does sound like the change of approach for the rally was a financial retrenchment more than one to do with political tactics:
<blockquote><q>I've no idea if these plans were scrapped because they were, in terms of self-promotion, deemed to be a bridge too far.</q></blockquote>
I'm not really arguing with you hippybear. I find thinking about Glenn Beck very depressing, and I probably didn't think my comment through that well.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260222Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:03:26 -0800TrochanterBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260226
Oh, I don't feel argued with. I'm just finding this information curious and want to make sure it's mentioned in this thread. You know, for posterity, or something.
I agree -- thinking about Glenn Beck is depressing.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260226Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:06:45 -0800hippybearBy: telstarhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260406
Beckerwoods.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260406Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:27:40 -0800telstarBy: Houstonianhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260433
Beck is sorry he called Obama a racist. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/29/beck-amends-obama-racist-comment-questions-belief-collective-salvation/">Fox News/Wallace interview</a>:
<blockquote>"I didn't understand, really, his theology," Beck a Fox News host, told "Fox News Sunday." "I think that it is much more of a theological question that he is a guy who understands the world through liberation theology, which is oppressor and victim."
Beck described liberation theology, which teaches that salvation for the individual is dependent on salvation for the collective through economic and social justice, as the message that was preached by Obama's ex-pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
"I'm not judging (Obama) for that," he said. "I'm not demonizing it. I disagree with it."
Beck, who is Mormon, said most Christians don't believe in liberation theology.
"That is a direct opposite of what the gospel is talking about," said Beck. "It's Marxism disguised as religion."</blockquote>
I don't agree with him, but I think this is smart positioning for him to take. It plays into the prosperity theology popular with his group, allows him to claim the rally was about religion instead of politics while picking a theological belief that does have ties with Marxism, provides an "excuse" for having his rally on the day he chose (while not coming out and admitting that he did, in fact, know what day it was), and puts renewed interest on Wright, all while back-pedaling from his original statement.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260433Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:59:35 -0800HoustonianBy: jayderhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260464
<em>Unless he's really playing some kind of very long game, I don't see where yesterday's message of "go to church, turn your back on those who preach hate, learn to support those who disagree with you" really was the start of any huge societal change.</em>
I'm having a hard time imagining my kids asking me "were you there?"
Rather, if I actually had been there, it's far more likely that they would ask me, incredulous, "you were<em> there</em>?"comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260464Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:20:57 -0800jayderBy: Jahazahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260479
<i>Unless he's really playing some kind of very long game,</i>
Yes. Even when he was going to promote the book (as per your link), it was a hundred year plan.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260479Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:54:33 -0800JahazaBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260510
<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/30/beck-mormon-rally/">Beck Blasts Obama's 'Perversion Of The Gospel,' While Evangelicals Blast Beck's 'False Gospel'</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260510Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:29:48 -0800ericbBy: five fresh fishhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260521
Jaydar, I'm pretty sure your kids wouldn't saying "Who?". Beck is note en footnote in the pages of history.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260521Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:41:28 -0800five fresh fishBy: XMLicioushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260523
A hilarious bit from ericb's link is where the evangelical - yes the <em>evangelical</em> blogger says that Beck needs to "keep his beliefs to himself."
And <em>of course</em> all that talkin' about oppression and liberation is just Marxism in disguise... sure that sort of stuff happened again and again to the Hebrews throughout their history and they were only saved by the miracles and grace of God but they're <em>Jews</em>, not Christians like Jesus was. Lots of Jews are Marxists, y'know.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260523Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:45:54 -0800XMLiciousBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260552
Acts 2:44-47: <em>"All who believed were together, and had all things in common. They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people."</em>
Acts 4:32, 34-37: <em>"The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet, and distribution was made to each, according as anyone had need. Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, having a field, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet."</em>
Beck: <em>"That is a direct opposite of what the gospel is talking about," said Beck. "It's Marxism disguised as religion."</em>
Now... I don't know if it's Marxism or not, but my reading of the beginning of Acts, and note that Luke mentions this twice in his writings, is that the early church shortly after the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, doesn't practice private property AT ALL, but instead pools their resources for the greater good of all the believers.
In fact, there's a little moment after the end of the second mention of communal living:
Acts 5:1-11: "<em>But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While you kept it, didn't it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn't it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven't lied to men, but to God."
Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things. The young men arose and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him. About three hours later, his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. Peter answered her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much."
She said, "Yes, for so much."
But Peter asked her, "How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
She fell down immediately at his feet, and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband. 5:11 Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things.</em>"
I mean.... it's pretty clear what's going on here. But it's more convenient for the Glenn Becks in the world to ignore the pretty obvious fact that YOU WILL FALL OVER AND DIE SUDDENLY IF YOU PROFESS TO BE A CHRISTIAN AND ARE NOT GIVING ALL YOUR BELONGINGS OVER FULLY TO PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNAL LIVING. I mean, it's right there, in the Bible. You can't argue with that, can you?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260552Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:08:05 -0800hippybearBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260562
<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/29/wallace-beck-credibility/">Wallace To Beck: 'Do You Have Any Credibility Talking About Reclaiming The Civil Rights Movement?'</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260562Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:12:37 -0800ericbBy: Trochanterhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3260969
Christopher Hitchens on <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2265515/">Beckapalooza</a>, and what it all means.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3260969Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:08:23 -0800TrochanterBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261020
<a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/08/30/5001303-a-big-beck-crowd-but-how-big-">A big Beck crowd — but how big</a>? -- "Rally is over, but the controversy over widely varying crowd estimates goes on."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261020Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:51:48 -0800ericbBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261023
<a href="http://www.thegrio.com/politics/why-dcs-duelling-rallies-confirm-there-are-two-americas.php">Why dueling D.C. rallies confirm there are two Americas</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261023Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:52:15 -0800ericbBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261034
<em>...but the "fat fuck" line is kinda mean.
Not in my book. It's actually the nicest thing I can say about the man.</em>
Glenn Beck | August 29, 2010: '<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/29/glenn-beck-regrets-callin_n_698580.html">I Have A Big, Fat Mouth</a>'
Yes you do. Yes you do.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261034Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:57:36 -0800ericbBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261075
<a href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/30/why-the-liberation-theology-label-should-worry-obama/">Why the 'Liberation Theology' Label Should Worry Obama</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261075Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:18:25 -0800homunculusBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261079
<a href="http://www.towleroad.com/2010/08/afa-to-glenn-beck-anal-sex-is-not-in-gods-plan.html">AFA to Glenn Beck: Anal Sex is Not in God's Plan</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261079Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:21:51 -0800ericbBy: Blazecock Pileonhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261092
<em>Anal Sex is Not in God's Plan</em>
Sometimes you gotta improvise.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261092Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:34:01 -0800Blazecock PileonBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261093
<a href="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/deeper-import-becks-rally-wedding-te">The deeper import of Beck's rally: Wedding the Tea Parties and the Religious Right</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261093Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:34:12 -0800homunculusBy: EarBuckethttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261649
I just realized something:
Glenn Beck is <em>fascinating</em> to me in a way that almost no one on the Right is. Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter sound like they're phoning it in half the time. They're cynical entertainers, giving their audiences the red meat they're clamoring for. But Beck . . . Beck is unpredictable. It's impossible to tell whether he's a lunatic who believes every insane word that falls from his quivering lips, or the greatest con man since P.T. Barnum, the second coming of Lonesome Rhodes. Whichever it is, it's a fantastic act. He's a genuine American character--an fatuous and stupid and evil one, sure, but unforgettable nonetheless. In two hundred years, he'll be a folk character, like Johnny Appleseed. A weepy, sweaty, creepily intense Johnny Appleseed.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261649Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:22:52 -0800EarBucketBy: Trochanterhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261664
I just hope he's not the kind of folk legend that started a revolution under false pretences, and then caused a nuclear religious war.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261664Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:38:04 -0800TrochanterBy: five fresh fishhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3261713
IMO Beck is just a little shit-stirrer with an obsessive lust for cash that has figured out how to combine the fun of stirring the shit with the profit in selling that skill to sociopathic billionaires. He's an immoral, craven shit-stirrer selling out to the highest bidder.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3261713Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:15:26 -0800five fresh fishBy: wittgensteinhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3262336
<a href="http://montclairsoci.blogspot.com/2010/08/honor-not-so-bright.html">Honor not so bright.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3262336Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:18:37 -0800wittgensteinBy: Trochanterhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3262444
This was a link from wittgenstein's link, but since I really like Paul Krugman (except he doesn't follow his thinking through to the apocalyptic end) I'll extract the link and post it.
Krugman: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/opinion/30krugman.html?_r=1">It's Witch-Hunt Season.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3262444Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:02:49 -0800TrochanterBy: enkiwahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3262718
I saw wuwei's excellent comment on Beck in the rss favorites feed.
I was stuck wondering when Beck the musical artist had turned into such a political figure for about half of it. Then I fell down laughing.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3262718Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:15:11 -0800enkiwaBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3262803
<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Election-2010/Vox-News/2010/0831/The-Blaze-reviews-are-in-on-new-Glenn-Beck-website">The Blaze: reviews are in on new Glenn Beck website</a><blockquote>According to Beck, the site is intended to give folks a helping hand. "If you are like me," Beck said in a statement, "watching the news or reading the paper can be an exercise in exasperation. It's so hard to find a place that helps me make sense of the world I see."
"We want this to be a place where you can find breaking news, original reporting, insightful opinions, and engaging videos about the stories that matter most," he added.</blockquote>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3262803Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:59:39 -0800hippybearBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3263131
<a href="http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/adam_serwer_archive?month=08&year=2010&base_name=glenn_beck_is_not_malcolm_x">Glenn Beck Is Not Malcolm X.</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3263131Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:01:51 -0800homunculusBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3263275
<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20015214-503544.html">Glenn Beck "Restoring Honor" Rally Crowd Estimate Explained</a> - from CBScomment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3263275Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:50:23 -0800hippybearBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3263782
<a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/09/pro.html">Protesting Too Much</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3263782Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:26:18 -0800homunculusBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265033
Rev. James Martin, S.J. examines liberation theology in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-james-martin-sj/glenn-beck-vs-christ-the-_b_698359.html">Glenn Beck vs. Christ The Liberator</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265033Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:02:34 -0800hippybearBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265041
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-0901-rutten-20100901,0,2864011.column">Glenn Beck's liberation theology obsession</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265041Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:11:26 -0800hippybearBy: splattahttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265043
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht8PmEjxUfg&feature=player_embedded">Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" Rally - Interviews With Participants</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265043Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:13:47 -0800splattaBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265273
<em>Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" Rally - Interviews With Participants</em>
You know, I know this is a thing... they've been doing it with people attending rallies for a while now, since the tea party thing began. But it's really kind of predictable at this point, isn't it? Like going to a Jesus Rock concert and holding a microphone in people's faces and asking them about their religious views. You know what you're going to get. And it feels like hurf-durf-on-a-plate at this point.
I used to be amazed at misinformed people and willful ignorance of facts. Sadly, I'm not anymore.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265273Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:10:23 -0800hippybearBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265384
<em>Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" Rally - Interviews With Participants</em>,.
The folks who did the interviews are students from Wright State. <a href="http://www.americablog.com/2010/09/if-conservatives-act-like-morons-on.html">Tea Partiers are 'up-in-arms,' claiming they were 'tricked' in their interviews</a>. Really? They said what they said. Do they not believe what they said?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265384Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:10:48 -0800ericbBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265433
ericb: that may be my favorite late-thread news story link ever. That's really hilarious and sad and profound all at once. Thanks for digging that up.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265433Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:24:45 -0800hippybearBy: Sys Rqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265807
<em>The folks who did the interviews are students from Wright State. Tea Partiers are 'up-in-arms,' claiming they were 'tricked' in their interviews. Really? They said what they said. Do they not believe what they said?</em>
Is it possible they weren't in their <em>Wright State</em> of mind?
<small>(Sorry.)</small>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265807Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:02:22 -0800Sys RqBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265820
<em>Is it possible they weren't in their Wright State of mind?</em>
If you read the article, that is exactly the point. People say they were deceived, claiming the college kids said they were from 'Right State.' The teabaggers said they thought they were talking to representatives of a right-wing website.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265820Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:06:30 -0800ericbBy: Sys Rqhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3265921
You know who else deceives teabaggers?comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3265921Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:55:04 -0800Sys RqBy: XMLicioushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3266107
Best comment by far in ericb's link:<blockquote><em>Perhaps The Daily Caller would have found the interviews more credible if Eric and Chase had dressed as a pimp and a prostitute and then only provided highly edited versions of their interviews.</em></blockquote>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3266107Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:41:16 -0800XMLiciousBy: ericbhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3267130
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/03/restoring-truthiness-colbert-rally-beck_n_704578.html">Internet Petitions Stephen Colbert To Hold 'Restoring Truthiness' Rally At Lincoln Memorial</a>.comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3267130Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:02:40 -0800ericbBy: homunculushttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3267185
<a href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/09/02/haley_barbour_race_history/">The GOP's new fake racial history: A Southern Republican with designs on challenging Barack Obama in 2012 offers a phony version of history </a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3267185Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:28:03 -0800homunculusBy: hippybearhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3267648
Oh, but the Barbour thing is so much better than that Salon article...
<a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/02/5035159-factchecking-barbours-version-of-history">Factchecking Barbour's version of history</a>
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/38983430#38983430">TRMS video segment on Barbour's fake personal history</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3267648Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:34:19 -0800hippybearBy: Houstonianhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3285951
<a href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/2010/09/16/breaking-jon-stewart-and-stephen-colbert-to-host-opposing-rallies-in-washington-d-c/">Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to Host Opposing Rallies in Washington D.C.</a> on October 30, 2010.
"On October 30, 2010, Jon and The Daily Show will lead the first-ever Rally to Restore Sanity on the National Mall in Washington D.C. — a movement of "people who have been too busy to go to rallies" — to beg America to stop shouting, throwing and drawing Hitler mustaches on people other than Hitler (or Charlie Chaplin).
Not to be outdone, The Colbert Nation is calling on all freedom-loving patriots to challenge The Daily Show's dark, optimistic forces by marching on the Mall at the same time to help Keep Fear Alive."comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3285951Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:02:24 -0800HoustonianBy: Artwhttp://www.metafilter.com/95198/March-in-August#3286071
<a href="http://www.metafilter.com/95792/Keep-Fear-Alive">Colbert rally thread</a>comment:www.metafilter.com,2010:site.95198-3286071Fri, 17 Sep 2010 06:58:35 -0800Artw